Car coupler centering device



April 20, 1937. c HARTER 2,077,560

CAR COUPLER CENTERING DEVICE Filed July 25', 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Gar/Es //ar1er I April 20, 1937. c. HARTEI CAR COUPLER CENTERING DEVICE Filed July 25, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 20, 1 937 2 UNITED STATES PATENT o FF E Charles Harter, St. "Louis, Mo. Application July 25, 1936, Serial No. 92,648

Claims.

This device relates to means for automatically gositioning the coupler of a railway car by grav- Two railway cars are automatically coupled together by the movement of their respective couplers forcing the tails of the pivoted knuckles behind gravity locks. The couplers are mounted in the cars so as to permit a limited amount of lateral movement. Such limitation is necessary and essential because if the couplers where allowed to move too far to either side, the couplers of the two cars being coupled would pass each other and not couple, thereby defeating the object of the automatic coupler. The greater the lateral movement of a coupler the less side pressure on the striking casting when the cars are going around curves. This lateral pressure forces the wheel flanges against the rail causing considerable friction and wearing of the rails and wheels.

In my device the movement between the coupler and the carrier is eliminated, thus reducing friction and consequent wear on the parts. This is quite an item particularly in sandy countries because couplers are costly and the replacement of a coupler means keeping the car out of service.

Coupler positioning devices reduce the number of broken knuckles and guard arms on couplers which members are frequently bent or broken when the couplers are not within coupling range. Such devices also reduce the number of accidents to trainmen as they are not required to go between the cars and position the coupler preparatory to coupling. I

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows the device in normal position with the coupler on the longitudinal center line of the car.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. l with the 40 carriage removed in the right half thereof.

Fig. 4 shows the device with the carriage and coupler moved laterally of the car.

In the form of the invention shown the striking casting, or car part A, comprises an upper 45 part 2, a lower part 3 and side walls 4 surrounding the coupler 5. A pair of spaced apart rollers B are mounted in the car part and the carriage C is supported by the rollers B to move laterally of the car with the coupler. The projections 8 50 cause the carriage to move with the coupler 5.

A pendulum D is pivotally mounted upon the car part by means of the pivot Ill, preferably between the rollers B, to swing laterally of the car.

The pendulum is provided with teeth which en- 55 gage a rack 12 on the underside of the carnage C.

The carriage C is shown with the surface M for engagement with the rollers B being upwardly curved (or concave) which would increase the tendency of the carriage to return to normal central position, in which event the outer teeth (I6) on the pendulum D extend further from the pivot pin l0 than the inner teeth l8 so that the contacting surfaces between these outer teeth l6 and the rack l2 on the carriage C will not be reduced when the carriage moves upwardly on the 10 rollers B as it moves laterally of the car.

In normal position the carriage C is positioned on the longitudinal center of the car and the center of gravity of the weight 20 of the pendulum Dis below the pivot l0 so that the pendulum 15 is balanced.

The elements are associated and arranged so that as the carriage C is moved laterally of the car by the coupler 5 the teeth Iii-I 8 of the pendulum D engage the rack l2 of the carriage C and the pendulum D is swung out of balance and itstendency to return to normal position by gravity tends to return the carriage and the coupler to their normal central position.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A centering device for a railway car coupler comprising a car part, a pair of rollers mounted in said car part, a coupler carriage supported by 3 said rollers to move laterally of the car, and a pendulum pivotally mounted upon said car part between said rollers to swing laterally of the car, said elements associated and arranged so that when the coupler carriage is in the normal cen- 4O tral position the center of gravity of the weight of the pendulum is below the pivot thereof and whereby when the coupler carriage moves laterally of the car the pendulum is swung out of balance and its tendency to return to normal position tends to return the carriage to a normal central position.

2. A centering device for a railway car coupler comprising a car part,a pair of rollers mounted in said car part, a coupler carriage supported by said rollers to move laterally of the car, the underside of said carriage being provided with a rack and a pendulum pivotally mounted upon said car part between said rollers to swing laterally of the car, said pendulum being provided with teeth engaging said rack, said elements associated and arranged so that when the coupler carriage is in the normal central position the center of gravity of the weight of the pendulum is below the pivot thereof and whereby when the coupler carriage moves laterally of the car the teeth of the pendulum engage the rack of the carriage and. the pendulum is swung out of balance and its tendency to return to normal position tends to return the carriage to a normal central position.

3. A centering device for a railway car coupler comprising a car part, a coupler carriage slidably supported by said car part to move laterally of a the car and a pendulum pivotally mounted upon said car part to swing laterally of the car, said pendulum engaging said carriage so that when the coupler carriage is in the normal central position the center of gravity of the weight of the pendulum is below the pivot thereof and whereby when the coupler carriage moves laterally of the car the pendulum is swung out of balance and its tendency to return to normal position tends to return the carriage to a normal central position.

4. A centering device for a railway car coupler comprising a car part, a pair of rollers, a coupler carriage supported by said rollers to move laterally of the car and the roller engaging surfaces of the carriage being upwardly curved and a pendulum pivotally mounted upon said car part between said rollers to swing laterally of the car, said elements associated and arranged so that when the coupler carriage is in the normal central position the center of gravity of the weight of the pendulum is below the pivot thereof and whereby when the coupler carriage moves laterally of the car the pendulum is swung out of balance and its tendency to return to normal position tends to return the carriage to a normal central position and the carriage riding upwardly upon the rollers further tends to return the carriage to normal central position.

5. A centering device for a railway car coupler comprising a car part, a pair of rollers mounted in said car part, a coupler carriage supported by said rollers to move laterally of the car, the underside of said carriage being provided with a rack and the roller engaging surfaces of the carriage being upwardly curved and a pendulum pivotally mounted upon said car part between said rollers to swing laterally of the car, said pendulum being provided with teeth engaging said rack, said elements associated and arranged so that when the coupler carriage is in the normal central position the center of gravity of the weight of the pendulum is below the pivot thereof and whereby when the coupler carriage moves laterally of the car the teeth of the pendulum engage the rack of the carriage and the pendulum is swung out of balance and its tendency to return to normal position tends to return the carriage to a normal central position and the carriage riding upwardly upon the rollers further tends to return the carriage to normal central position, the teeth on the pendulum varying in length so that the engaging surfaces between the pendulum teeth and the rack will not be re- CHARLES HZAR'I'ER. 

